Dorian impacts salt water fishing
As you can imagine, Hurricane Dorian really messed up the salt water fishing for the latter portion of this past week.
Even from hundreds of miles away, storms as large as Dorian can create huge waves and churnedup water.
I know many striper addicts love a rough surf, but only up to a point. When the waves tower over your head and threaten to knock you off your feet, even those die-hards pack away their rods and reels for a few days.
The Labor Day weekend was not too bad weatherwise. Peanut bunker remain schooled-up in just about every back bay; and when you have that much bait, you will have fish trying to eat it.
Anglers had been reporting catching good numbers of undersized striped bass and summer flounder, but keepers are scarce. Also in the back are plenty of sand sharks to keep you busy, but there also are seabass, blowfish and lizardfish.
If you never have seen a lizardfish you will know what it is the second you bring one into your boat. I understand they are edible, but I think I will pass.
For the past few summers, we have been seeing a gradual increase in the number of blowfish being caught. Those of you old enough to have been fishing the back bays in the 1960s know that these interesting fish simply dominated the bay fishing because of their incredible numbers.
Catching flounder or even crabs was almost impossible because a blowfish would hit your bait almost as soon as it hit the water. We are a long way from seeing those numbers again, but, who knows?
Speaking of stripers, the New Jersey slot striper bonus window now is open. That means you can keep just one of those slot fish.
As has been the case all summer, the number one keeper fish in terms of numbers is the kingfish. Talking to some pier jockeys and surf casters, to a person they all say 2019 has to be the best year ever for this tasty little fish.
Back in 2007, my wife, Gwen, got a plaque for catching the largest kingfish from the Ocean City Fishing Pier that year. Her award winner was 16-inches in length.
Also having an excellent year is the blue claw crab. Catches have been good and steady since the time they made their way out of their winter mud sanctuary.
I know many of you head for North Carolina for that state’s great fall fishing. But, if you think New Jersey’s flounder regulations are tough, the Tarheel State has closed down its flounder fishing, both commercial and recreational. And, if you think that is bad, it looks like you might not be able to catch flounder until perhaps this time next year. ACROSS THE BAY >> Dorian had pretty much the same effect on Delaware and Maryland fishing as it did in New Jersey.
Fishing in the Indian River Inlet and in the surf was knocked for a loop. Most of what action there was in the Delaware Bay.
In the upper reaches of the bay and the C & D Canal there were good catches of white perch and catfish being reported. A few flounder and some legal trout were found in the vicinity of Miah Maull. Anglers working the Cape Henlopen State Park Pier had good catches of spot and the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal had some flounder.
When boats were able to get off the beaches they were finding some bluefish around Fenwick Shoal and there were king mackerel and dolphin hanging out on the inshore lumps.